Questions about John F. Kennedy
Q: Why was John F. Kennedy called Jack?
A: Jack is a common nickname for John and it is what his family called him when he was growing up.
Q: Was Jack really born in the house?
A: Yes! Jack was born in this house on May 29, 1917 around 3:00 o'clock in the afternoon. At that time it was actually quite common to give birth at home. The home was considered more sanitary than a hospital. When Jack was born, Mrs. Kennedy was attended by Dr. Goode, his assistant and a nurse. Dr. Goode delivered all nine of the Kennedy children!
Q: How long did the Kennedys live in this house?
A: The Kennedys lived in this house for six years, from 1914 to 1920. In 1920 they moved to another, larger home - that was just 3 blocks away!
Q: How many kids were in the Kennedy family? How many lived in this house?
A: There were nine children in the Kennedy family! Joe Jr. (b. 1915), Jack (b. 1917), Rosemary (b. 1918) and Kathleen (b. 1920) all lived in this house. Eunice (b. 1921), Patricia (b. 1924), Robert (b. 1925), Jean (b. 1928) and Teddy (b. 1932) joined the family after they had left this house.
Q: When did the house become a National Historic Site?
A: The house became a National Historic Site on May 26, 1967, when Congress passed Public Law 90-20 establishing this house as the John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site.
Q: Is the house just as it was when the Kennedy family lived here?
A: Mrs. Kennedy, Jack's mother, created this house as a living memorial to her son, John F. Kennedy. Her goal was to restore the house to the way it was when her family lived here between 1914 and 1920. However, she had to base her reconstruction solely on her memories of the family's time here, as she had no photographs of the interior of the house from that time.
Q: How many of the objects in the house are original?
A: 19%, or 172 objects in the house, were used by the Kennedy family when they lived here. Some of the original objects include Jack's bassinet and his porringer.
Q: What was Mr. Kennedy's job when he purchased this home?
A: Mr. Kennedy bought this house in 1914. At that time he was working as the president of a local bank, the Columbia Trust Company, located in East Boston.
Q: How much did Mr. Kennedy pay for the house in 1914?
A: Mr. Kennedy purchased this house in 1914 for $6,500.
Q: When was the house built?
A: The house was built in 1909.
Q: Who lived in the house after the Kennedy family?
A: The Kennedy family first sold the property to Edward E. and Mary H. Moore in September, 1920. The Moores were close friends of the Kennedys; in fact the youngest Kennedy, Edward Moore Kennedy, is named after Edward Moore! After the Moores, the house then passed through several owners before being bought back from Mrs. Martha Pollack by the Kennedy family in 1966.
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FAQs
Q: Why was John F. Kennedy called Jack? A: Jack is a common nickname for John and it is what his family called him when he was growing up.
Where is JFK buried? ›
President Kennedy's Grave in Arlington National Cemetery.
What street was JFK born on? ›
On May 29, 1917, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy gave birth to her second son, future president John Fitzgerald Kennedy, in an upstairs bedroom of her family home at 83 Beals Street, Brookline, MA.
What was John F Kennedy's last words? ›
Kennedy's reply – "No, they sure can't" – were his last words. From Houston Street, the limousine made the planned left turn onto Elm, passing the Texas School Book Depository. As it continued down Elm Street, multiple shots were fired: about 80% of the witnesses recalled hearing three shots.
What was JFK's favorite food? ›
President Kennedy was particularly fond of soup--New England Fish Chowder was a favorite. He has been described as a "soup, sandwich and fruit" man for lunch--always soup though.
What was John F. Kennedy's famous quote? ›
Overview. John F. Kennedy's inaugural address inspired children and adults to see the importance of civic action and public service. His historic words, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,” challenged every American to contribute in some way to the public good.
Who was the youngest president? ›
The median age at inauguration of incoming U.S. presidents is 55 years. The youngest person to become U.S. president was Theodore Roosevelt, who, at age 42, succeeded to the office after the assassination of William McKinley. The oldest person inaugurated president was Joe Biden, at age 78.
What two children are buried with JFK? ›
The graves of Patrick Bouvier Kennedy and Arabella Kennedy, children of John F. Kennedy, are on either side of the president's burial plot.
Why was JFK's casket closed? ›
Jacqueline Kennedy declared that the casket would be kept closed for the viewing and funeral. The shot to President Kennedy's head left a gaping wound, and religious leaders said that a closed casket minimized morbid concentration on the body. Mrs.
Why is there an eternal flame at JFK's grave? ›
Kennedy visited the site with McNamara on Saturday, November 23, and concluded that Jacqueline Kennedy's wishes should be honored. On Sunday, November 24, 1963, Jacqueline Kennedy requested an eternal flame for Kennedy's grave. According to several published accounts, she drew inspiration from a number of sources.
Caroline Kennedy, the only member of JFK's immediate family who is still alive today, was born on November 27, 1957. She was nearly six when her father was assassinated, and then her mother moved her and her brother to Manhattan for school.
Who lives in the Kennedy house now? ›
The Kennedy Compound Now
Ethel Kennedy still owns and resides in the home she lived in with her late husband, while the Big House was donated to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in 2013.
Do the Kennedys still live in Hyannis Port? ›
Today, the family still looms large over this Cape Cod community, where Joseph, John, and Robert moved into a trio of clapboard houses that would come to be known as the Kennedy Compound. The John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum attracts visitors from all over the world. Boats take visitors to glimpse the compound.
What was JFK originally called? ›
On Dec. 24, 1963, U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy and Jean Kennedy Smith honored the memory of their brother, President Kennedy, during a ceremony at the old International Arrivals Building to mark the renaming of New York International Airport (more commonly known as Idlewild Airport) to John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Did JFK Jr have a nickname? ›
His putative nickname, "John-John", came from a reporter who misheard his father calling him "John" twice in quick succession; the name was not used by his family. John Jr. lived in the White House during the first three years of his life and remained in the public spotlight as a young adult.
What did JFK call for? ›
He announced that major civil rights legislation would be submitted to the Congress to guarantee equal access to public facilities, to end segregation in education, and to provide federal protection of the right to vote.
Why is John sometimes called Jack? ›
1: In Medieval Germany, the Biblical name "John" became "Jankin" and then "Jackin". Jack is a shortening of that. 2: In Medieval England, "John" was used as a generic name for a person (the usage John Doe still survives). The French used the name "Jacques" with the same purpose, and the two became conflated.
